Unfamiliar Lands
by Nahir Ka'sai
Summary: Cast upon the shores of a distant world; a band of ambitious men, treasure hunting dwarves, hungry hobbits, a weary elf and a sea-loving captain find themselves plunged into a realm of bizarre creatures and strange new faces. Unaware that their every action has been dictated by prophecy unseen to many. Fated footsteps transform their souls, as they set foot upon unfamiliar lands.
1. Introduction - Journey through the Ages

**Introduction – A Journey through the Ages**

_If mortal man had the time we have had to gaze upon our world and admire its beauty as we have done, perhaps then they would not yearn to please their myriad of ambitious desires. However that is not as man is, and their every impulse seems to tug the youth of their kin into ever more treacherous paths. That is as it has always been, and that is why I, of whom elven blood courses through thy veins, find myself caged within an oaken vessel bound to traverse the ever-shifting realm that we call the seas. Forced to stare upon the magnificence of stars come the tide of night for any source of comfort. –Eiriel_

Looking out across the vast plane of waves that the sea hath wrought often made even the most-seasoned of sailors gradually fall into a state in which their minds fell prey to musing with the idea of mutiny. However, there was one among the crew of this aging vessel whose age and constant desire for the symphony of the sea had made him only ever contemplate the idea of setting off on his own to sail among the sea for the short remainder of his life, so he might be at assured peace in his passing. This man, the ship's captain, had seen plenty in his days and had only the simplest of everyday desires remaining which he desired to fulfill. The rest of the vessel's crew was young, inexperienced and impatient. So alas, every day's events were often accompanied by the wailing of the other thirty-seven personnel who worked the small boat.

"Blasted weather, how are we supposed to get anywhere if the damned wind refuses to offer any assistance beyond the bellows of a few hours?" One of them groaned as the day's first light crept across the surface of the sea.

"Forget the weather, how long you reckon we'll last with so little food left?" One of the few Hobbits asked.

"What little is left should prove able to sustain us so long as our course is true. You forget the bread is of elven craft my friend." A female elf said, her voice as calm as the sea they sailed.

"Easy for you to say Eiriel, you're the only elf aboard, the rest of us are used to eating real food! Meats, fruits, even vegetables! Don't even get me started about the lack of ale!" The man who'd started the discussion said.

"Simply because the food does not fit your taste, does not mean it serves not its purpose." Eiriel said, growing irritated of the mortal crew.

_Though, to be fair,_ she thought _I too am growing weary of these waters._

"I'll admit," the captain said biting into his share of bread, "The food is terrible, the lack of ale worse and the sea is a bitch. Though complaining about any of that gets us nowhere."

"Ai, you're right I suppose." One of the ship's six dwarves said, setting his mug down empty. "We just all wish we had something to give us hope. Ye must admit yourself Captain, we've been afloat in the sea a lot longer a time than we expected."

"I'll agree with you Lóni, I've travelled this route a hundred times. Never before has the journey taken so many days." The captain nodded.

And so began a discussion the crew had already had about a dozen times since they'd lost sight of their fleet during that one foggy night. After everyone had finished their small breakfast they began to do their daily duties, they even got lucky and hit a gale of wind which they used to get, hopefully, a little closer to their destination. Everything was business as usual. Then came a sound, a sound which made the entire crew pause a moment, before their faces gave way to broad smiles. The unmistakable sound of a seagull.


	2. Chapter 1 - A Welcoming Party

**Chapter One – A Welcoming Party**

"Portside! Land ho!" The vessel's lookout cried joyfully from the Crow's Nest.

Immediately the ship's crew was in an uproar, they rushed about to see to it that the ship was ready to dock or lay anchor need be. All except Eiriel, whose broad smile quickly faded into one of blank expression.

"These lands lack the landmark features of Minhiriath..." Eiriel said, disheartened, as she strode toward the vessel's bow to analyse the coming shores with her sharp elven eyes.

"Oh don't be such a downer Eiriel, we've been at sea for far longer than we expected. Even if we make landfall in Gondor I'll be happy." One of the men said hopefully, as he secured a bit of rigging.

"Perhaps, but these lands… those trees, they look unfam-"

"Oh come on Eiriel, listen to the rest of the men." The Captain said, cutting her off. "Besides, what's better than a little adventure?" With a smile he patted her on the shoulder and promptly rushed off to help one of the struggling crew members.

_Something isn't right, these lands are not as they should be…_ Eiriel concluded upon further examination of the trees ahead. However she set aside her fears for she dared not distress the crew any further with the harsh realities which they would themselves rather ignore. She turned about and stepped down a small flight of stairs onto the main deck, narrowly avoiding a run in with one of the ship's sailors as she passed by the mast. Finally she came to an open hatch and proceeded down a much longer flight of stairs, turned right and entered the first door she came too. As the door closed she let out a deep sigh and walked over to the nearby dresser.

She undressed and threw on another pair of clothes, giving little care to her appearance at this point, and fell backward on her bed. She had been sent on the very simple mission of delivering a message to a nobleman in Luin and then returning home safely. Somehow she'd managed to extend her trip far beyond necessary length by deciding that passage by water would be swifter, a mistake she would not allow herself to make twice. The food was lacking, the drink practically non-existent, the bedding was stiff and every man on the ship had gotten googly eyed after they'd first seen her. Some nights she'd feared for her own safety to such an extent that she had barred her door.

Not that she imagined any man onboard would actually try anything, but safety first is a good rule to live by. She took a moment to wallow in self-pity and then sat up to stare blankly at the wall, lost in deep thought. Deep thought of course means little to the practical lives of Hobbits however, and so it was that Fosco knocked on the door.

"Yes? What is it?" Eiriel asked, turning to face the door.

"Nothin', just wanted to talk is all, you decent?" Fosco said with an eager voice.

"That I am, come in then." Eiriel replied. Fosco opened the door and walked in casually, gently closing the door and sitting on a small chair next to her bed. While one might debate the necessity of a chair in a ship's passenger quarters, Eiriel decided she was in need of one shortly after meeting Fosco, who regularly visited her.

"So, what is this about us not really being where we're supposed to be?" The Hobbit said, before revealing a couple extra pieces of Elven bread that he had managed to carefully sneak from the ship's pantry.

"Ah yes. Well you see, the shores lack any match to maps of Minhiriath's coast. Furthermore, the trees are of a kind I have never seen." Eiriel said, taking her share of the bread from Fosco's open hand.

"Mhm, go on." Fosco said, clearly paying more attention to his bread than it deserved.

"They seem to be almost devoid of leaves and branches. The only leaves they do have are at the top, and are both large and few in number." Eiriel said, taking a bite of her bread.

"Strange, very strange. Say, do you have any paper I can use? I've got none as is and I plan on writing a letter back home as soon as we get ashore. You know, where ever this shore is." Fosco said, finishing his bread.

"Sure, take as much as you need, it's in the cabinet beside you." Eiriel said, nodding to the cabinet.

"Thanks, say, how long do you think it'll take for my letter to reach home?" Fosco said, standing and taking a few sheets from the cabinet.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I can't even be sure we're in the same lands anymore." Eiriel said, also standing to get the door for Fosco.

"Shame… you think there'll be more elves here?" Fosco said half-jokingly as he stepped halfway out the door, turning back briefly to hear Eiriel's response.

"I am uncertain."

"That's becoming normal for you lately, perhaps we're all in for real adventure then." Fosco said, starting toward his room with a broad smile on his face as usual.

Eiriel leaned out to say something else but gave up and decided just to let it go. She decided to retreat to her room's "comforts" instead of engage in a prolonged discussion with Fosco. She played with the idea of going up to try and talk sense and caution into the ship's captain but decided against that as well. Finally she settled on the one thing she knew would satiate her inquisitive mind for the time being. She stood once more and returned to the top of the ship, then let herself stare at the lands ahead once more.

In all her immortal days, never had she seen such odd beauty. The trees were weird, the rocks were weird and what few creatures she saw looked completely otherworldly, but they all seemed to paint a nice picture together. As she shifted her eyes to her she noticed a fast-approaching ship, concealed amongst a series of tiny islands. She turned quickly and strode toward the Captain who'd taken to the helm for a change.

"Yes Eiriel, what is it now?" The Captain said as she ascended the ladder.

"There's a ship, fast-approaching from the islands to our starboard side." She said, turning to face them once more.

"Can you tell what kind of ship it is?" The Captain asked, hoping that perhaps by some unexpected coincidence Eiriel would recognize the particular kind of ship that appeared to be slowly stalking them.

"No, though that is the least of our concerns." Eiriel said, turning to face the archipelago where the vessel was hiding.

"Let me guess, Corsairs?" The Captain said, handing the wheel back over to an unhappy helmsman.

"Not at all. In fact I have no recognition of the vessel's design to anything I have ever seen." Eiriel said, taking a moment to examine the mast, though finding no further indication of its purpose or construction their either.

"White sails, no sigils, though it has an odd serpent at its bow." Eiriel though aloud.

"Captain! Should we change course?" The helmsman asked cautiously.

"Aye, hard to port. Let's try and keep some distance for the time being." The Captain replied.

Eiriel was about to further explain what the ship looked like, as she was graced with far greater sight. Though she was immediately cut-off when she noticed the ship suddenly turn sharply toward them.

"Captain, they've changed course!" The lookout shouted before Eiriel could speak.

"Aye, steady as she goes!" The Captain replied.

Suddenly their ship smashed hard against something and the whole crew was jolted forward as their vessel came to a hard stop.

"Rocks Captain?!" The helmsman offered.

"Nay! All hands to arms! We're in too deep water to run aground, something foul is afoot." The Captain said, hopping down from the helm and into his quarters to retrieve his cutlass.

Eiriel gladly accepted a sword, for she had been known to study the art of swordplay on the side of her boring job as messenger. So the lack of chance to practice lately had given her little to do aside from sleep all day.

"Captain! What sort of dark magic can stop an entire ship with so little struggle?" Fosco said emerging from below deck, a cutlass in both hands.

"Can't say! I haven't even seen any real magic before. Eiriel, what say you?" The Captain said, briefly turning to Eiriel.

"While mighty magic might be able to stop a ship, I can't imagine it stopping a ship without us being able to even try and escape it." Eiriel replied. Though she too had never seen real magic outside of healing, she'd rather not express her uncertainty any further.

"Perhaps we can try and force ourselves out of it then! Man the oars!"

With that half the ship's crew rushed back below deck and began to row with all their strength. Yet no matter how hard they tried the ship didn't do so much as drift ever so slightly.

"All right men, looks like this won't be a fair fight. Belay that order, we'll need every man if these newcomers truly do mean harm." The Captain shouted once more.

"Captain, ship approaching at flank speed! I've never seen a vessel move so swiftly." The lookout cried.

Eiriel turned back to gaze at the ship, she was taken aback with how much water the ship had already covered in the short time they'd been sitting still. Though what she took notice of next truly shocked her far greater.

"They appear to be elves!" Eiriel said in disbelief.

"Elves? What's next, giant sn-" The Captain said, pausing mid-sentence as he noticed a long dorsal fin shear upward through the water. He could just barely make out the creature it belonged to beneath the murky water. "Snakes."

"Captain?" Eiriel said, being unaware of what she had just missed, though knowing the Captain's pause to be unusual.

"Stay clear of the railing men! We've got some kind of creature circling us, and from what I saw I don't think it's friendly." The Captain shouted.

"Of what form did it take?" Eiriel asked, casting a curious gaze to the Captain.

"A massive serpent... You think there is any connection with it to this new ship?"

"Perhaps." Eiriel said, though she did not favour that possibility.

Without warning the sea suddenly became erratic, the waves grew to twice their previous size and a storm cloud rapidly formed above the unmoving vessel. Rain poured heavily downward and lightning shot out of the sky cracking the mast in half and sending the main sail and the lookout falling from the sky. The lookout screamed as he and the mast crashed into the ocean and a gargantuan snake shot itself out of the water, bringing its many teethed maw down hard on the helpless crew member. The creature's size was of such a great mass that as its body slipped back beneath the surface it created waves which nearly caused their ship to capsize. A sickening odor suddenly washed over the crew as the oncoming ship entered shouting distance.

"Steady yourself men! We're bound to have a fight on our hands, but we didn't spend this many days at sea just to be eaten by an oversized lizard." The Captain cried. Though his words did little to calm the men, who had just watched one of the most seasoned crew members aboard get devoured in a single instant.

It was then that Eiriel realized they stood no chance. The evidence pointed toward the sea elves wanting to attack their small transport vessel. Though she had no idea why any elves would be so hostile toward any newcomer. Especially so hostile as to summon such a vast beast. However if there was one thing she was sure of today, it was that they would stand no chance against opponents whose skill was so .

It took only mere seconds for the fast-moving ship to slow to a crawl as it began to circle the trapped ship. Eiriel spotted some of the elves aboard the other ship holding bows, it took them seconds to notch arrows in preparation for a volley.

"Get down!" Eiriel cried, though it was too late. The volley of arrows caught five crew members off-guard and they all hit the deck hard, their cries of pain were unlike anything Eiriel had ever heard.

One who was sprawled out nearby Eiriel began spasming uncontrollably as his mouth frothed and he clutched at his neck. She noticed that the arrow had only hit his shoulder, whatever poison these elves had created, it clearly worked faster and more effectively than any she had ever bore witness too. She also noticed Fosco had backed himself down below deck. She felt bad for the Hobbit, not only were Hobbits unfamiliar with war, but his small stature and open acceptance of inept experience with weapons had likely been too overwhelming for him. As she poked her head back above the railing she realized the ship had stopped circling and had set a course directly for their own ship.

"Prepare yourselves! I believe they intend to board us!" Eiriel cried out.

As if on cue three of the white-skinned elves flung themselves onto the ship's deck, rolling and immediately using their momentum to attack the nearest sailor. Eiriel rushed to the aid of one sailor, only to see his throat split open by a clever parry, which the other elf performed as if it were a simple task.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you ground-walker!" The vicious elf said, bringing the pommel of her cutlass to bash the gurgling sailor into the deck's wooden floor.

"See reason my kin! We have not-"

Before Eiriel could finish the elf sprang into the air and brought down her blade in a powerful thrust. Eiriel quickly rolled backward and brought her blade up just in time to counter another thrust directed at her throat. She brought her blade crossways, sending the other elf's blade off course. Then she tucked below a swipe from the elf's dagger in a counter-parry and sent one of her heels across the elf's feet, knocking her down hard on the deck.

"You'll pay for-"

The elf was unable to finish, she tried to roll right but was too late and Eiriel dove her cutlass through the elf's back, twisted it left and turned to face the next fighter. However as she took in her surroundings she quickly felt an overwhelming sensation of fear as she was greeted with the sight of five more of these murderous elves. Most of her crew lie dead or dying on the deck, their blood staining almost every square meter of the ship. Though she took some comfort in that both the Captain and his First Mate appeared to be alive, though quite outnumbered and likely outmatched. She would have jumped to his aid if one of the elves had not just rushed below deck.

She followed him quickly, though he was quick to notice her. He turned round in one swift motion, tossing a dagger at her chest. She twisted left just in time to avoid getting stuck with the poison coated blade, though not quickly enough to avoid injury entirely. The elf bounded down on her now, he came on strong, unleashing a flurry of blows where ever he might see a hole in her defense. He probably would have seen one to if Fasco hadn't drove his cutlass through his spine.

"Come quickly." Eiriel said softly, as the elf collapsed in a cry of pain.

"Quickly!" Eiriel repeated, as if trying to coo a scared animal from hiding. Fosco seemed utterly transfixed by the tangled body of the dying elf, so she grabbed his arm and dragged him onward.

"You must hide yourself, can you do that for me?" Eiriel said, concern filling her usually calm face.

"Y… yes." The frightened Hobbit finally said after a short moment, then he rushed into off further into ship.

Eiriel turned and rushed back up to the top deck, quickly met by a sharp cutlass as it grazed her hair from behind. She turned quickly and managed to block the blow that followed it. Though it nearly knocked her flat. She stepped up onto the deck, casting a quick glance at the Captain. His first mate was headless, and missing an arm. Though the Captain himself seemed to be holding his own despite the odds. In her moment of curiosity she failed to notice the elf who'd slashed at her as he moved. He rolled to face her at her left side. The elf then rose a hand quickly and a bolt of lightning struck Eiriel hard, she twitched a moment and was unable to move, just long enough for the other elf to get a slash at her leg.

Eiriel screamed sharply, the pain was beyond excruciating, whatever poison they were using it seemed to be even so potent as to cause pain to even another elf. Eiriel recovered just in time to intercept a thrusting blow that her opponent had aimed for her heart. She brought her cutlass upward, sending a shower of sparks down on the deck. Then she kicked low at the male elf, catching him in the groin. He nearly doubled over in pain, but recovered faster than she had hoped. He brought his blade down on her as hard as he could, setting her off balance, despite her quick response to block the blow.

With that the elf drove his blade's pommel into her chest and then swept his leg across her own left one, sending her crashing into the floor. However just before he could finish her the unmistakable battle cry of a dwarf came from the hatch behind him. Blood splashed across the deck as a heavy axe chopped deep into his back. He collapsed without so much as a gasp. The dwarf who had downed him freed the axe's blade and turned to charge the elves who'd nearly managed to break through the skilled Captain's defenses, his two dwarven brothers close behind. As they helped the Captain fight back the four remaining elves, Eiriel recovered.

She stood, though it caused her great pain, and took a quick glance at her wound. The cut itself appeared mostly superficial, though she was worried of whether or not the poison would work as intended. While under normal circumstances she would assuredly be fine, the fact that the poison had actually caused her some form of pain was worrisome. She watched as the dwarves and the Captain managed to finish off the last of the elves. She could scarcely believe it, how had they survived such an onslaught.

Then, as if to answer her thought, twelve more elves fell in unison on the starboard side. Each was adorned in some strange cloaked armour. They stood as one and unsheathed a series of jagged edged cutlasses, muttering a strange incantation before assuming a more effective combat stance.

"Ye've got to be kiddin' me!" One of the Dwarves exclaimed in disbelief. "Priestly killers are ye?! Well let me help introduce ye to your god!" The dwarf said darkly as he charged the nearest. As he brought his axe up to slash at the elf a series of ten quick slashes followed by a kick silenced the dwarf instantly. His brothers looked down in horror. Though it took mere moments for them to fill with rage.

In a single combined movement the twelve elves began to thrust wildly at the four survivors, who struggled to block the oncoming blows. Suddenly they all jerked, and fell to the deck. Eleven of them faded into a strange black mist, leaving one dead, with a blood-covered Fosco standing triumphantly above him.

"What kind of dark magic is this?!" The Captain said through his many ragged breaths.

Suddenly another elf showed himself on the portside of the other ship. He had a tight grin on his face and he began to clap slowly.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful. Though, I grow weary of our struggles, so let us put an end to all that shall we?"

"Come down here and we'll put an end to you!" The Captain shouted back fiercely.

"Now, now. Let's not be so rude. I'm certain this is all just some big misunderstanding." The elf said, before waving his hand to someone off to the side.

In moments three more robed elves stepped in behind him. Their apparent leader waved his hand in front of him and gently levitated onto the ship, the others dropping around behind him.

"Just stand still, it'll make this much easier for all of us." The elf leader mused. The robed elves suddenly appearing to become dozens. Without so much as a command all of them immediately charged the cornered band of friends. Eiriel dove left and managed to skillfully kill the first elf she found with a powerful upward slash, though the elf quickly turned to a shadowy mist and vanished. She watched as the Captain and dwarves were knocked to the deck, the Hobbit swept off his feet and thrown at the feet of the elf leader. Eiriel herself was struck in the temple with the pommel of a blade.

As Eiriel faded out of consciousness she vaguely saw through the deception of the trick, three robed elves laughing as they kicked her companions into submission. The leader had one of them pick up Fosco and drag him onto their ship, he followed behind them. Then he paused a moment, turned on his heel, and spoke.

"Don't forget to feed our pet." He said with an evil grin.

The two remaining elves laughed as they began to toss the bodies of her and her companions overboard. As she fell she began to speak an incantation, unsure of how well it would serve her now, but willing to let go the last of her hopes.

After what seemed like a mere instant of hitting the water, she gradually faded back in to consciousness a moment, choking on the shores of a strange world.

"Rest now elf, you're safe." A strange voice suddenly said, and then she slipped back into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 2 - A Brief Guide to Tamriel

**Chapter Two – A Brief Guide to Tamriel**

The first thing Eiriel felt as she woke up was her wound on her leg, though it felt a little better, and she felt certain that she could feel something wrapped around it. The next thing she felt was some kind of sheet laid over her, and as she managed to open her eyes she could just barely confirm that. Her vision was fuzzy at first, and everything in the room looked unfamiliar. The familiarity did not change as her vision corrected itself, and by that time she already knew something good must have happened for a change. She knew this because the room she was in lacked anything to bar her from trying to escape.

In fact the room itself seemed quite comfortable, despite its strange design. She had never seen architecture like this before, though she had heard that the Men of the East used similar designs. She had to admit, for the climate, it was comfortable. All she knew of the climate was that she did not like it, the humidity felt as though her face was in some sort of liquid air and her skin felt of such heat that she thought she might be next to a fireplace. Perhaps she was in the East?

She heard speaking, she had never heard such a strange accent before. She could not seem to make out the words however, as the walls dampened them into a mere hum. She tried to move her arms and felt stiffness, but no pain otherwise. She tried sitting up and heard most of her bones crackle and could tell she must have been in this bed for a good few days. Looking around the room she noticed that it had very little.

Aside from her bed, a window and a door, the room had nothing more than a small nightstand. She looked down at the floor and noticed the Captain and the two dwarves, both in worse shape than her, though they looked to be recovering. The last thing she remembered was being hit in the head, and then falling toward the ocean. Perhaps the strange elves had a change in heart and saved them? It had not made sense after all for them to attack the small boat, maybe Fosco had sorted out the misunderstanding.

As she thought of Fosco she felt a wave of depression overcome her, she had seen the colorless elves drag him off with them just before she and her other friends were thrown overboard. She pulled her sheets away to examine her leg. The first thing she realized was that she lacked pants, though whoever had treated her was decent enough to cover her more private areas. She peeled back a rag covering her wound and saw it had become much smaller than she remembered. Furthermore, it appeared as though someone had mended then the skin, stitching the wound.

She decided against walking, the idea of doing so might reopen the wound and cause a tragic disaster for her. She covered it with the rag again and laid back down, covering herself with the thin cloth sheets. She looked out the window, noticing that it was nighttime. Though she was more concerned of what she saw in the night sky. Two moons.

It was at this time that the door creaked open, Eiriel shifted her gaze to the door and nearly shot backward out of her bed. The creature that had opened the door jumped back a little as well. Whatever it was it resembled a cat, and was nearly half Eiriel's height.

"Father the elf one is up!" The cat person shouted, their voice sounded distinctly feminine.

Eiriel suddenly realized that the elves she had met had spoken in the common tongue as well… how strange. She and the small cat lady held eye contact for a while until another much less feminine cat person, roughly two times taller, came up behind the smaller one and opened the door further.

"Hello… do you speak this one's language?" The other one said, the thick accent made her think a moment before she fully understood what he had asked her. Even then he spoke in a strange manner, referring to himself in the third person.

"Yes. I think so." She said, she saw yet another cat person come up from behind the two at her door, she opened the door further and leaned against the wall, placing a hand on the smaller one's shoulder.

"Do you feel better?" The tallest, masculine one asked.

"Erm… I suppose I do. Yes, yes I do." She said a little stupidly.

"That's good, and your friends, have they woken up yet?"

"Uhm… no, not that I know of I mean." She said, she finally decided to sit up, though she felt a little less comfortable in doing so.

"Careful, careful. Do not move your leg, it is still recovering." The other tall one quickly responded, her voice was more feminine than the male one, though it was less childish than the small one. "Let this one find you something to rest your back against." She said, and quickly rushed off.

As she left they all simply sat there staring at one another until the female one returned, she carried a few pillows which she used with Eiriel's to create a makeshift wall behind her.

"Thank you." Eiriel said gratefully, and allowed herself to sink into the pillows.

"What is your name if you don't mind this one asking?" The male one asked.

"My name is Eiriel, I was on a ship to Minhiriath when my ship was attacked by some strange elves." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"This one does not know of this Minhiriath, though he will tell you that the elves who attacked you were Maormer. Do you not know what Maormer are?"

"No… I do not recall ever hearing of such a race of elves." She said, then she thought a moment and quickly added in; "Forgive my ignorance, however I do not remember of your kind either?"

"Hmm…" The male one responded, "Perhaps you hail from the place they call the Dragon Land."

"Others call it Akavir." The taller female one corrected.

"I… don't believe so, I'm from Minhiriath myself. It's a region within Middle-Earth, this is Middle-Earth right?" Eiriel said, growing more confused.

"This place is Elsewyr." The male one said.

"It is a province in Tamriel." The short female one quipped.

"I have never heard of such a place…" Eiriel said, thinking back to every map she'd ever studied.

"Perhaps your injuries have also cut your wits, this one might be able to help you. Though his he needs to know what race you are." The male one said with a strange smile.

"I am an elf, as your… daughter? Has said." Eiriel replied.

"Ah yes! This one nearly forgot, this is my daughter Shivani and my mate Tsrava. This one's name is Kesh." He happily responded, "We are Khajiit, and yes, we know you are an elf, though we know not which kind."

"Kind? You mean like where we live? I'm Eiriel by the way." Eiriel said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, not where. What. There are, how do you call them in Elven…" Kesh paused. "Ah yes; Altmer, Bosmer and Dwemer I think."

"No dad, the other one is Dunmer. Your name is very pretty by the way Eiriel." The short one quickly said with a smile.

"Thank you Shivani." Eiriel said, returning the smile.

"Oh yes! That's it, Dunmer! This one is sorry, he does not know elven well. Though his daughter is in an Aldmeri school, so she learns well." He said, patting his daughter on the head.

"I… have never heard such names before." She said, with that Shivani's eyes grew wider.

"Do you come from Aldmeris? The homeland of the elves?" Shivani said inquisitively.

"I… not that I know of." Eiriel said, she liked the child, she seemed to be very knowledgeable for her age, and an enthusiastic child at that.

Shivani's smile faded a little at that, but she remained hopeful. "Well… we don't know what it looks like, there is even a chance it doesn't exist. That's what the moth priests say though, but most of the Altmer teachers don't think they are right."

"I am sorry that I cann-"

Eiriel was about to apologize before Shivani cut her off with a sudden spark of an enthusiasm.

"Maybe you are an Ayleid!"

"Shivani, do not speak when others are speaking." Tsrava said sternly.

"Sorry mother…" The Khajiit said, lowering her eyes to the floor.

"It's alright, though I know not what an Ayleid is either. Would you care to explain them?" Eiriel asked, trying to raise the young scholar's spirits.

"Well, they're also called the Heartland High Elves or Wild Elves by the Imperials. They were the first of all elves to make an Empire in Tamriel, and ruled it from their capitol in Cyrodiil for ages. They were the ones who built the White Gold Tower." Shivani said with enthusiasm once more.

"No… I'm afraid that is not a place I have heard of either." Eiriel said.

Shivani looked over Eiriel quickly with a thoughtful gaze. "You are very pretty for an elf, and your skin is much less colorful than the Altmer, Bosmer or Dunmer. Yet you are completely colorless like the Maormer. Perhaps you're a new kind of elf?" Shivani offered.

"Where I come from there are many of my kind, and none of the others you speak of." She suddenly remembered the moons. "Oh! We only have one moon!" Eiriel said.

"One moon? How strange… perhaps you are Daedra." Kesh joked.

"What is a Daedra?" Eiriel asked seriously.

The Khajiit all paused and looked at one another with a look of true astonishment.

"You have never heard of the Daedra?" Tsrava was the first to break the silence.

"No… are they another kind of elf?" Eiriel asked.

"No. They are not elves, they are the evil of Nirn." Kesh was quick to answer.

"They were the gods who didn't help in creating Nirn, keeping their power at its fullest so they might do as they please with the world that the Aedra had created." Shivani said, drawing attention from her parents.

"If only you knew more of Masser and Secunda perhaps then you could become a Khajiiti priest." Her father said with a hint of dismay.

"That's not what the Aldmeri teach though, what I hear of Masser and Secunda just comes from the priests we visit, and they don't even tell me anything about them." Shivani said, glaring at her father.

"Well, maybe next time you can ask them and learn more of our heritage." Tsrava said.

Eiriel could feel a slight tension in the room so she quickly cut in.

"I still don't know where I am…"

With that she heard one of the dwarves groan.

"Tsrava, you should see to the others, make sure their wounds are healing. Shivani, could you fetch more bandages for your mother?" Kesh said.

Tsrava nodded and went to work, Shivani groaned, clearly not a fan of missing out on the conversation.

"We can settle this all later, for now it is best that you rest." Kesh said, coming over to take some of the pillows and help Eiriel to lay back down. "This one and Tsrava will take care of you and your friends, by tomorrow you should be okay to walk."

"Already? It still looks like it'll take a few more days to fully recover." Eiriel said, the only time she had ever heard of wounds healing so quickly was when they were tended to by elves.

"Tsrava is a healer, she knows powerful healing spells." Kesh said, with that a bright light suddenly came from Tsrava's hand as she tended to one of the dwarves.

"Be careful. A dwarf is not quick to trust someone who uses magic." Eiriel said to Tsrava.

"A dwarf?" She asked with sudden curiously.

"That is what the two short, bearded ones are." She said.

"And what of the other?" Tsrava said, becoming more interested by the moment.

"He is a man." Eiriel said. "Have you anything similar to dwarves or men in Tamriel?"

"We have men, plenty of those. Imperials, Nords, Redguards and… well, Bretons are half-elf." Tsrava said. "Though… we have never had dwarves in Tamriel for many centuries now, and none of the descriptions I've heard match these ones."

"Yes, but those are just speculated depictions of them." Shivani said coming in with more bandages. "We have no idea what they actually looked like. Maybe you're from where ever the dwarves went?" Shivani offered.

"That wouldn't make much sense… We. The elves awoke before the dwarves, though we all came from Middle-Earth, nowhere else."

"How peculiar." Tsrava said.

"Well, we best let you get some rest now." Kesh said as Tsrava finished up with bandaging the other dwarf.

Eiriel nodded and watched Tsrava and Shivani walk into the hallway outside her door, they stopped to look back in.

"Good night." Shivani said.

"Good night, and thanks for everything. All of you." Eiriel said with a smile.

"Just returning the favor." Kesh said, but before Eiriel could ask why he said; "It is interesting to learn of you and the place you come from, well worth saving you from dying in the sand." Kesh said with his strange cat-like smile. "Good night."

* * *

With that Kesh closed the door before she could say anything else and the Khajiit family went their ways to sleep. That night Eiriel dreamt of the Khajiit family actually being the three robed Maormer in disguise, they had captured her so they could deceive her to learn of Minhiriath so they could invade it. Kesh dreamt of his daughter becoming a Khajiiti priest, though his mate quickly woke him after her nightmare where Eiriel turned out to be an evil Daedra and killed her daughter. Causing the two of them to sleep in rounds so that one of them could make sure nothing happened to Shivani. However Shivani could barely sleep, as she quietly scribbled in parchment the school had provided her.

She simply had to figure out where Eiriel had come from, her life had always been boring. The other kids in school picked on her, especially the Altmer ones, though there was few of those. She had no real friends, and so far Eiriel showing up at her house had been the coolest thing that had ever happened to her. She imagined showing up at school with Eiriel there to fight off all the mean kids. Though she quickly reminded herself that most kids that acted this way just had a bad life at home.

_Then again we all have bad lives here._ Shivani thought to herself, and she knew it was true. Her family had struggled to earn enough money to support themselves for years, even with her mother being a healer. The truth was that being a healer wasn't that big a deal in Tamriel unless you were one of the famous ones. Everyone in Tamriel had some innate healing ability, even Shivani did, and she was only thirteen years old.

After a few more hours Shivani gave up and set the parchment on the nightstand, she had only more questions to ask the elf and knew she wouldn't get any closer by writing her thoughts down. She laid her head down and fell into a void of sleep, dreaming of unfamiliar lands far from her own.

The next day started boring as usual. Shivani got up before her parents, tossed the blankets she'd slept on in the upstairs hall closet, and made herself breakfast. Ate breakfast, got dressed and walked to school. It was a cold day, at least by Elsewyr standards. Though most of that was simply due to the fact that it was Evening Star and Shivani reminded herself that in other places of the world, like Cyrodiil, snow covered their streets today. She had never understood people's allure to snow down in Elsewyr, all the other kids always made such a big deal out of it.

What Shivani was really excited for was the New Life Festival, mostly because she knew her parents would leave to party somewhere like any other respectable adult in Tamriel. She however would have the whole house to herself, which meant she could sneak off without notice. There was a weird stone in the forest behind her family's house that often unveiled secrets to her, though she never could figure out what it was. Her family had forbidden her from going to it, though she always made a point of doing so when they weren't around.

She tossed the thought out of her head as she finally made it to the schoolyard. The teacher, a young Altmer lady, looked unimpressed.

"You're late young lady." She said, her nose looked so high in the air that Shivani half-wondered if she might snap her own neck. She wasn't late of course, in fact she imagined that most of the other children, including the Altmer ones, hadn't even arrived yet.

"Sorry Mrs. Endarie." Shivani said, forcing a weak smile, she hated this teacher.

"You'll offer no excuse this day, you'll be staying after school to clean, do you understand?" Mrs. Endarie said with a cruel smile.

"Mhm." Shivani said with another fake smile, passing the teacher and entering the school. She honestly didn't care what Mrs. Endarie thought, she wouldn't be staying after school today. She had too many questions to ask Eiriel, she wasn't about to let someone take precious time from her.

* * *

Eiriel woke up with a yawn so loud she worried she might have awoken one of the others. Though she was surprised to see, that when she looked down on the floor, as she had been the only way to have the luxury of a bed, that they were all gone. She threw back the sheets, took a quick moment to examine her leg, seeing it fully mended with only a scar remaining, and noticed a set of clothes on the bed. She hopped out of the bed and put on the clothes. They fit comfortably, despite being a little larger than herself.

She took a moment before leaving to look out the window. She was stunned to see the forests up close, realizing that she was in some sort of jungle. The foliage was incredibly thick and she had never heard the song that they sung. She listened a while, mesmerized by the melody of the forest. Then she snapped herself out of the transfixed state and decided to see where her friends might be.

Opening the very creaky door she saw a tight hallway, with a door across from her own, another door was to her right and in between her and that door was a staircase. Not wanting to noisy around too much Eiriel decided to head downstairs. The house was lit up purely by sunlight, though she saw melted candles all about and guessed they were the source of nighttime illumination. As she got to the bottom of the stairs she was caught off guard by the Captain shouting.

"There she is! No less beautiful than when we last saw her!" The Captain and the dwarves laughed, she noticed that they and Kesh had decided to share a few mugs of ale, though she imagined what was once four was now likely more than ten.

"I see you spent no time in getting drunk again Lóni." Eiriel said with a tight smile.

"I don't have any idea what ye're talkin' about, I've never gotten drunk in my life. Dwarves are very hard to get drunk you see Kev." Lóni said, his voice slurred.

"This one can tell… hey wait… this one thought his name was Kesh." The others laughed, clearly the Khajiit was not familiar with the steady drinking of dwarves.

"Looks like this one can't hold his ale!" The other dwarf, Náli, said mockingly.

Eiriel rolled her eyes, noticing that Tsrava was missing.

"Where is your wife Kesh?"

"Tsrava? This one's mate is not here, she works at the temple of Mara, where she tends to wounds." Kesh said, nearly falling out of his chair.

"And your daughter?"

"She is at the elf school, damned elves, I hate them. They always think they're so much better than everyone else."

"Excuse me?" Eiriel said, raising both her eyebrows.

"This one is sorry, he forgets of you, but he only speaks of the High Elves." Kesh said, taking another swig from his mug.

"Well… I can see you've got this all sorted out… so do you mind if I step outside for a while?" Eiriel asked.

"No, this one does not mind, just watch out for Alit, they like to bite curious travellers." Kesh said laughing.

Eiriel simply stepped outside, she knew nothing would be accomplished until everyone had their sense intact. As she left the house she immediately was overcome with even greater humidity and heat. She half regretted the decision to step outside, but she continued anyway. She wanted to spend some time with the trees, perhaps learn more of the land she walked on. Though as she listened she found no comfort, the trees spoke in a way she was not familiar with, so she decided to sit in the shade of one and wait instead.

Her wait didn't last long, for as she stared far down the street, admiring the strange architecture of the Khajiit, she spotted Shivani leaving a large building which must have been the school. Though she saw something else, something she had never expected to see here in Tamriel. She hopped to her feet, adrenaline rushing through her veins, she looked around for some sort of weapon but only found a sickle lying in the Khajiit family's garden. She took it and rushed down the street, she could only think of one thing. Shivani was in danger.


	4. Chapter 3 - Among the Wicked

Dear Reader,  
Today's chapter will be shorter than usual, I hope you can forgive me for that. However I can say that the next one will be quite a good deal larger. If you have suggestions or comments on this story feel free to PM me. I hope you enjoy Chapter Three of Unfamiliar Lands.  
In all my sincerity, _Nahir Ka'sai_.

* * *

**Chapter Three – Among the Wicked**

The first thing he could taste was an unbearable stench on the air, a wicked odor akin to what he'd smelled on the day that the ship was attacked. Next he managed to open his eyes, revealing a cold stone room, destitute and foul. He heard the cackling laughter of cruel creatures as it echoed off the rock walls and saw barely the pale light of a candle as it danced across the walls. The many screams and cries to be heard merely worked to amplify his uncomfortable setting. He already knew his predicament, even before he remembered the events that brought him to this unfortunate location.

As he struggled to stand he found himself coughing up a thick red goo, and took note of a plate of meaty remains nearby. His face was coated in blood, likely from the force feeding, and the Hobbit could no longer hold back his stomach. He wiped his mouth after unleashing the fetid liquid, and found himself crashing back to the floor. Unable to stand, his many bruises and cuts unhealed and some likely infected. At the sound of his loose stomach a couple of elves approached the iron bars which stood between him and their chambers of torment.

Never had he been so terrified of an elf, though he suspected this would not be the last time that their appearance made him quiver in terror. One of them said something he couldn't make out and they began to cackle once more. Then the other took his leave, crossing their chamber, filled with all of their vicious devices of torture, and climbed a set of stairs. The other did not leave, instead he opened the door and grabbed one of the Hobbit's arms.

As he was dragged to one of the devices he saw their leader return, the one who had ordered the three robed elves, and Fosco could do no more to calm his fears. As he passed into unconsciousness, his last memories of that day were the sights of iron spikes and a pool of chains.

* * *

Shivani had just taken her leave of the school, the day had not gone well. The high elven children spent all of their time mocking her, and she was further dismayed when the other classmates joined in as well. They picked on her simply because she was new to this school, clearly none having ever moved themselves. As she breathed a sigh of relief, striding out of the school Mrs. Endarie was waiting for her.

"Where do you think you're going young lady?" She asked, her arms crossed and her eyes daggers.

"Home, where do you think I'm going?" She replied sharply, though she knew it would land her in further trouble she no longer cared.

"I distinctly remember telling you to clean the school once the day ended, are you so half-witted as to forget so quickly?" The teacher replied hotly.

"No, I did not forget your feeble attempt to reduce the necessary time in which you must stay inside of your own institute. I simply did not care enough about you, or this school for that matter, to remain he another hour." Shivani replied, growing tired of the place she was doomed to enter each day.

"How dare you! You ungrateful peasant spawn, we brought our own knowledge and craft to this pathetic edge of an inferior realm and you dare talk back to me and for go your duties?! You'll never come here again, and your parents will not get you out of that this time!" The gold-skinned elf said, before raising her hand to strike her.

A large green muscular hand caught her arm mid-swing as Shivani winced.

"How typical. You Altmer always were the snotty arrogant type, but I never expected you to fall to such a low as to attack a child, a defenseless one at that." The newcomer said in his booming voice.

Shivani had never seen the Orsimer before, though she had heard plenty of stories of them. Only now though did she truly grasp the realities of what all the stories she had read were talking about. She was as frightened of him as she was relieved that he had just happened to be strolling by. After giving him a once over though she had to admit she was impressed of the ferocity, the masterwork armour and the jagged edge blade was constructed of orichalcum, a metal used only by some of the most skilled blacksmiths in Tamriel. His heavy build and muscles made the taller Altmer still look weak and powerless in contrast.

"You have no right to interrupt my disciplining of this wretched girl! Unhand me this instant or I'll see you locked up for the rest of your miserable life." Mrs. Endarie spat.

"You know… I think I have a better idea. How about we discipline you instead?" The orsimer said with a wicked grin.

"You wouldn't dare! I'll only warn you once more, unhand me or-" Mrs. Endarie was cut off as the orc turned her toward him and kicked her hard into the ground.

Suddenly the orc stopped his onslaught, took a step back, unsheathing his weapon and shouted;

"Come at me you arrogant whelp!"

Shivani turned to see Eiriel charging the orc, a sickle tightly gripped in her right hand. Her eyes grew wide.

"Eiriel no! He'll kill you!" Shivani shouted.

"Run Shivani, I know not how but this is an orc, a wicked creature who's heart's desire is only of murder." Eiriel said, slowing her pace and keeping a short distance between her and the orsimer.

Eiriel had never seen such an orc before, the armour he wore was past being simple metal and forgery. Its plates were all form-fitting and covered nearly every inch of his body. The blade he held looked so masterfully crafted that even from where she stood she knew that it could easily exceed even elven crafting. Yet again Eiriel knew she would not survive an encounter like this, only she expected this time she would last much shorter a time.

"Yes! Kill him!" Mrs. Endarie shouted, pulling herself to her feet and raising a hand out in front of her.

Shivani immediately recognized Mrs. Endarie's intent, though she knew not what spell the evil lady had in store for the orc. The orismer also recognized her intent, though he cared far less of its results, his armour would protect him from most of the blow anyway. Eiriel looked confused, unsure of what to do next, she hesitantly took a step back and had to take a moment to let the situation seep in. Before Mrs. Endarie could finish her spell however the intent became blindingly obvious, she was going to cast a fireball on the orsimer and Shivani. Yet before she could finish casting the spell the orc struck first.

He could tell that the enraged Altmer did not care for the student's safety, so he decided he would not care for hers either. He balled his free hand into a fist and drove it hard into the Altmer's stomach. Before she could react he brought his fist back once more, this time to her head. The Altmer turned, stumbled and fell to the ground in a heap. Shivani could only look on in horror, she had never intended for the teacher to be killed, though the sickening thud of the elf's head impacting with the cobblestone street revealed the outcome of the violent scenario. The horror of it was almost too much for her young mind and she felt herself sway a little and began to panic a little.

Before Shivani recuperated however the orc turned to Eiriel.

"You know this child?" He said gruffly.

"Y… yes. She and her family saved me." Eiriel said, bewildered that an orc was even capable of such conversation. "Why did you kill this lady?" She added.

"I killed her for two reasons." The orc said, slowly cleaning his blade, keeping his eyes on Eiriel. "She was going to attack a weak and defenseless child, and because she was an agent of the Thalmor."

Shivani was taken aback at the accusation. _Mrs. Endarie, a Thalmor spy?_ She had never thought the Thalmor would spy on their own allies, though the more she thought of the idea the more sense it made to her.

"I am sorry, I am new to these lands. What are the Thalmor." Eiriel said, still keeping her guard up.

The orc sighed roughly, then sheathed his blade, he figured that if this elf had any intention of killing him she would have tried already.

"The Thalmor are the elves who govern the Aldmeri Dominion. They are the ones who rules Elsewyr, Valenwood and the Summerset Isles, though they'd have you believe the rule all of Tamriel." The orc said, still keeping his eyes on the elf.

"All right, and what are you?" Eiriel asked.

"I'll leave that to the runt to explain, I have no more time for you elf. Do not forget your obligation to return the favour to these Khajiit if they truly saved you, or else you'll find no favour among my kind." The orc replied before storming away from the scene.

Eiriel simply glanced at Shivani, who was still transfixed by the corpse. Eiriel slid the blade into a small belt at her side and took Shivani by the hand, leading her from the scene towards her home.

"D… do you think anyone saw?" Shivani asked when they got halfway to her home.

"I don't know Shivani. Just try and remain calm okay?" Eiriel said, unsure of what would happen next.

"Okay… I can do that." Shivani said, taking a few deep breaths.

When they returned to the house Eiriel rushed Shivani in and followed after her quickly, slamming the door behind them.

Kesh was still drunk, though the others were missing. He gave the two strange looks.

"Wha's wrong Shiv?" Kesh said stupidly.

"Mrs… The teacher is dead." Shivani said, remembering the sight of the corpse, her blood ran cold at the thought of it.

"What? Dead, how'd she die?" Kesh slurred, standing to refill his mug only to fall on the floor.

Suddenly Tsrava came rushing downstairs, having gotten home a short while before them.

"She's dead? Who… what killed her?!" Tsrava said with urgency, rushing to comfort her daughter.

"An orc." Shivani managed to say.

"Damnable orcs! Always killing, why do they always kill?" Kesh said, managing to get to his feet.

"Why did he say he killed her?" Tsrava asked, suddenly curious of the reason behind such madness.

"He said she was going to attack Shivani and that she was a Thalmor spy." Eiriel replied.

At the mention of her daughter possibly being hurt Tsrava held her daughter even tighter.

"Why would she attack this one's daughter?!" She shouted in dismay.

"She wanted me to stay after school to clean it again, but I refused so she tried to hit me." Shivani answered, shaking a little.

Tsrava merely comforted her further at the explanation but spoke of it no further until she remembered the other half of what Eiriel had said.

"Thalmor spy? But the Khajiit have already recognized the rule of the Aldmeri Dominion. Why would they need to spy on us?" Tsrava said.

"It surprises you?" Kesh said before sitting back in his chair, mug refilled. "Those Thalmor were never trust-worthy, no elves are."

Before he could take another drink Tsrava picked up his mug and tossed it on the floor.

"Kesh, now is not the time for drinking." Tsrava hissed.

Kesh, a little upset, but open to suggestion none-the-less simply looked at her and nodded.

Suddenly Eiriel felt a cold wave of reality crash over her. As if her senses had suddenly fully came back into being. One of her friends was captured, her other friends had seemingly lost their own senses, their ship had been sunk, she was in a place she had never even heard of and she had met and spoken with an orc. The wave nearly knocked her off her feet, she stumbled a bit, and felt a sudden surge of pain in her forehead as a headache came on.

"What… why… how…" She stuttered feeling as though she was had been deceived by some powerful magic.

"Relax Eiriel." Tsrava said suddenly, seeming familiar with Eiriel's sudden outburst. "This one used a mystic salve to stop your bleeding. The effects you feel now are simply the salve's side effects wearing off."

"All... all right." Eiriel said, feeling disturbed.

"Here, let me get you a chair." Tsrava said, walking over to help Eiriel over to one of the kitchen's chairs.

"I just… how could I be so…"Eiriel was still utterly confused and severely disoriented.

"Just relax. As I said, the salve I uses has a side effect which dampens the wits of the person treated." Tsrava with a sudden calmness, walking back over to her daughter and helping her to a chair as well.

"That, but I should not be effected. Poisons and such things have no effect on elves." Eiriel said, holding her head in her hands.

"No one is truly immune to the effects of the ingredient used, even Argonians are still effected, though this one must say she is impressed, you seem to have resisted more than what even they can." Tsrava said, before adding; "Remember, your friends were more out of touch with the world than you were, they sat here and felt it appropriate a time to drink."

"I suppose." Eiriel said. "Maybe… maybe I should lie down."

"That might be best… For all of you." Tsrava said, looking at Kesh and Shivani. They both simply nodded.

Kesh stumbled, nearly falling, up the staircase. Shivani however simply sat there frozen. She heard a whisper. Somewhere in her mind formed words she could not comprehend nor had she ever heard. After a moment her mother began to comfort her further, though she could barely feel it. As if something had removed her from the scene. Blackness engulfed her vision and she fell limp.

Eiriel watched as Shivani slipped into unconsciousness. Tsrava looked horrified and quickly picked up her daughter.

"Get the bedding from the closet. Now!" She shouted, rushing her daughter to her room.

Eiriel pulled the thin cloth sheets from the closet and unrolled them on the room's floor. Tsrava sat her down, falling rapidly into hysterics. She moved her hands about quickly, checking over Shivani for any kind of wound but found none. She checked for a pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief.

"This one is alive, though her mind has fallen silent." Tsrava said, covering Shivani and pulling blankets over her.

"You mean she has gone unconscious?" Eiriel asked.

"Yes… the overwhelming sensations of such a day's events will often claim many who are unprepared." Tsrava said. "Now, I believe you should rest as well. I'll look after Shivani."

"All right… thank you. For everything." Eiriel replied, feeling her headache grow worse.

"It is nothing." Tsrava smiled. "Go now, rest."

With that Eiriel went upstairs to the room she had slept in the night before, seeing that the three of her friends already lie on the floor snoring loudly. As she laid back in bed she couldn't help but feel the weight of guilt on her.

Her last thoughts before sleep consumed her were; _We must rescue Fosco._

* * *

Shivani felt dazed, opening her eyes she saw a strange figure on a barren landscape.

"What fun can we have with you…" A voice said, the words reverberating in her skull.

"Well now. Isn't that curious. Perhaps we'll have you live longer yet. What do you say mortal, would you like to have another go at it? Oh of course you would, now let's get you back in there."

With that Shivani blacked out once more.

* * *

Updated quick note from the author;  
I've had to use an alternative method for breaking apart different character blocks, hopefully this make it easier for you guys to read and doesn't cause any confusion when I change perspective.

Yet again, my sincerest apologies. Cheers! ^^


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